Black-footed cat

Ascari: Male, born May 11, 2006 at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. He arrived at the Zoo on October 12, 2011 from the Kansas City Zoo.

Aza: Female, born September 14, 2005 at Central Florida Zoological Park. She arrived at the Zoo on October 12, 2011 from the Kansas City Zoo.

Aza had a litter of kittens on April 8, 2014: the first black-footed cats ever to be born at the Philadelphia Zoo! Their names are Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion. Drogon and Viserion are male and Rhaegal is female.

Where to find me in the Zoo

Carnivore Kingdom

Fun Facts

The black-footed cat is the smallest cat in the world. They are even smaller than the domestic cat.

One of their preferred food items are spiders.

In the Afrikaan dialect they are called miershooptier or "anthill tiger". They have this name because they will often sleep inside of hollowed out termite mounds, which are known as ant hills in African countries.

Ask an Expert

Have a question about this animal?Ask an expert on our Docent Council!

These small but mighty cats are terrestrial and crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn). They are not great climbers, but are skilled diggers when looking for insects or creating birthing dens. They have been observed to have several hunting styles that include: fast hunting (running through and over vegetation, flushing out prey), slow hunting (slow, stalking movements- which indicates they are low to the ground in an almost serpentine motion), and finally "sit and wait" hunting (motionless vigilance at a rodent burrow waiting for an animal to come out of their den). All of these methods have proven successful for this cat.

Longevity

Their lifespan in the wild is 10-13 years. Black-footed cats living in zoos may live up to 15 years.

Behavior

These elusive cats prefer a solitary lifestyle (except when kittens are with moms). Males have a larger home range that typically overlaps through several female home ranges. These industrious cats will find resting spots inside unoccupied aardvark, springhare and porcupine burrows. The black-footed cat utilizes several types of vocalizations that include: purr, gurgle, spit, hiss, growl, and meow. The meow is comparable to the roar of the tiger, however, it is an octave higher. Researchers have noted that this particular vocalization is meant to communicate over long distances.

Reproduction

Breeding will typically occur through the spring monthes. Black-footed cats are sexually mature at 21 months. A female proceeds through estrus within a 2 day period and is only receptive to a male for 5-10 hours. Gestation spans over a 60-68 day period. A litter size may include 1-4 kittens. Kittens eyes and ears are closed at birth and slowly open within the first 10-14 days. They leave the den or burrow at the age of 25-30 days.

Size

They are known as the smallest cat in the world. Their head and body length is 16-19 inches (42-50 cm) with their tail length measuring about 6-8 inches (15-20cm).

Weight

Their weight range is 3-4.5 pounds (1.3-2.7kg). The birth weight of a new born cub is 2-2.9 ounces (60-84g).

Diet

Black-footed cats are opportunistic predators. They will consume whatever they can catch and their prey ranges from insects to adult Cape hares. At the Zoo the base diet is a commercial raw meat mix formulated specifically for exotic felids. The current enrichment portion of the diet is comprised of small rodents.

Geographic Range

They range through Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Conservation Status

On the 2011 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the black-footed cat is listed as Vulnerable.

To learn more about the conservation efforts at the Philadelphia Zoo, click here.